COIMBATORE: At 80, retired Central Government employee N S Mahidhara is fighting a battle with his five children, all well-settled, so that he can live a life of dignity in his sunset years.In an unusual step, the resident of Chinniampalayam in suburban Coimbatore has petitioned the District Collector M Karunakaran to act against his only son invoking the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act. Sadly, the district administration is yet to act on the two-month old petition.Left all alone in the house of one of his four daughters, Mahidhara has been struggling to cook food and do household chores like fetching drinking water and sweeping. Only newspapers and a television set keep him engaged for most part of the day.“Even criminals in jail will have relatives visiting them frequently. I brought up five children and now they have reached good positions in life with well secured jobs. But they have forgotten me and even hate my presence,” says Mahidhara in a choked voice.He wrote to the Collector two months ago after seeing reports and photographs in the Express about aged citizens petitioning the administration for their sustenance.All his daughters are in government service, while his 45-year old son is a CEO of a textile company in Erode. “My health is fast deteriorating and I feel like I may not be even able to walk a month from now. It’s scary when I think how I am going to survive then. My son and daughter in-law occasionally visit me only to abuse me. They plainly ask me why I am surviving for these long years,” says Mahidhara failing to fight back his tears.Unable to bear the abuses of his son and others, he lodged a complaint with the Peelamedu police station last year with little use.“The police personnel at the station took sides with my son and (daughter/son) in-laws as though they shared some cosy relationship. I am a lonely old man and couldn’t withstand their might. I was forced to withdraw my complaint,” he says. “I know that my son and daughter in-law are having so much hatred against me and I have to always fear for my life if they are with me. What I am seeking is a monthly maintenance from them so that I could engage a good caretaker, which I cannot afford now with my pension,” he says.When this Correspondent brought Mahidhara’s plight to Collector Karunakaran’s notice, he promptly collected the details and assured that he would immediate take action as per the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act.
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